This invention is related to inventions disclosed in prior patents, issued to a co-inventor hereof Sandra Stefano, as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,949,409 and 5,081,721, both of which issued patents are incorporated herein by reference.
It is known from these patents to provide an inflatable mattress having a through passage therein in registry with the buttocks of a supine patient lying thereupon wherein the through passage provides a cavity to accommodate a bedpan of common commercial use so that, owing to the low inflation pressure of the inflatable mattress, the surface of the mattress may easily be depressed, thereby to permit such bedpan of common commercial use to be inserted into--and subsequently removed from--the cavity.
It is also known to provide disposable bedpans that are used in conjunction with other patient lift devices that are far more rigid than are those described in my aforementioned previous patents. These disposable bedpans that are known comprise bags formed of flexible plastic sheeting and these bags may have a reinforced edge surrounding the opening thereof. In some cases, the edge may be attached to a more rigid rim that is not unlike a toilet seat, which rim maintains the opening in an open configuration to receive wastes while the rim may also serve to hold the bag in position for use by engaging the patient lift device. These known disposable bedpans are not suitable for use with the patient lift devices described in my aforementioned previous patents, nor are they seen as suitable for use in with a standard mattress, whether of foam, upholstered, or innerspring varieties, that are relatively simply adapted with a bedpan hole or bedpan depression therein.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices and methods. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fullly disclosed hereinafter.